While Howie Long may not have actively pushed his son towards a media career, his own experience likely played a role in steering Chris Long away from traditional TV analysis. This has led the former NFL defensive end to forge his own path in the media world, launching the successful podcast Green Light with Chris Long.
On The Stephen A. Smith Show, Long discussed the demanding life of a TV personality. He likened it to a tightrope walk, with producers feeding topics and travel adding another layer of difficulty. Long reflected on how his own upbringing mirrored this, growing up with his father, Howie, traveling to the West Coast for most NFL Sundays. This meant his father could only attend Monday or Thursday games. Long’s mother regularly took redeye flights across the country to ensure someone saw his brother, Kyle, play.
“I think just going through that gave me the impression of, hey, if you want to work in TV, you give up some of your autonomy from a lifestyle standpoint,” Long recently told Stephen A. Smith throughout a 20-minute-plus interview. “And I really just like the idea of podcasting because I am a homebody. I like being my own boss; I’ll admit that. You get screamed at for 11-15 years playing college and pro football; you want to be your own boss.
“I’ve had to do it my way the last 4-5 years and learn how to run a business. I think football leadership is way different from football leadership. I’ll give you an anecdote. I had all my producers in Year 2, and we were having a come-to-Jesus talk. I’m sure you’ve had those before where you’re like, ‘Guys, you know, things are good, but we just need to tighten it up a little bit.'”
Long’s communication style, honed during his intense 11-year NFL career, caused an unexpected clash with his media team. A week after his come to Jesus moment with his team with his team, a lead producer hesitantly approached him. Apparently, Long had used a term the producer found offensive (though Long himself couldn’t recall saying it). Long, surprised, defended the term as a term of endearment in his mind.
This misunderstanding highlighted Long’s most significant adjustment: transitioning from football’s fast-paced, direct communication to the more nuanced world of media, where even terms of endearment can be misinterpreted.
“But my dad has helped me a great deal, and he also helped me without even knowing it, just keeping me out of the studio,” said Long. “Like, I like doing Inside the NFL with Ryan Clark and those guys, but it’s in Philly. It’s a one-day trip for me; I don’t give up my weekends. I don’t know how you guys do it. The commitment it takes to TV; podcasting is an easy way.”
While acknowledging his father’s unintentional influence in keeping him out of the traditional studio environment, Long finds a sweet spot in podcasting. It offers a balance between the fun and commitment he craves.
“I think sports is supposed to be fun,” Long continued. “You obviously have to have serious, engaging conversations, but when we were doing five podcasts a week during the pandemic, do you think all of it was serious? We like to have fun, and I think the people like to get a mixture of the hard-hitting stuff, and they like to see former players just acting like guys. I think that’s the appeal of the athlete-led stuff now: you’re getting to see guys from a different vantage point. And it’s endearing; it’s something fans can emphasize with. These guys watch the game the same way we do; they sweat their bad bets, have bad takes occasionally, and fly by the seat of their pants sometimes.
“But ultimately when it’s time to put on my analyst hat, which has been something I’ve been pretty cognizant of when it’s time to give an informed take, I don’t want to be out-worked by anybody. It’s the duality of having a lot of fun but also being able to put that hat on and say, ‘Hey, I can do this as well as anybody,’ when it’s nut-cutting time and when it’s time to talk about serious topics.”
